Please help me create a comprehensive list of songs that reference events in U.S. History! I teach high school U.S. History courses, and each day between classes I try to play a song that references what we'll be studying that day - students try to guess who the song is by and how it relates to what we're studying as they come into class.

Some eras (Vietnam, Civil Rights, etc.) are much easier to come up with songs for than others. The songs don't have to be *about* the event - it's fine if the event is simply referenced in one line of the song. I do try to incorporate a variety of genres, but lean towards more modern music (because students get more excited when it's music they recognize). It would be awesome to know the name of the song, the artist, and what event it relates to.

Battle of New Orleans because it is AMAZING. Also, I'm surprised how much kids that age often enjoy Schoolhouse Rock type stuff. Abraham, Martin, and John (if you don't mind people potentially crying).

Also, if there are any particular eras that you really need (not entirely sure what you'd be focusing on) let us know! What an exciting question this is!posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 1:13 PM on January 13, 2014 [3 favorites]

"Developed as a teaching guide for junior high school social studies classes, this compilation features 57 songs, mainly about American history and culture. They are organized thematically, with topics including Colonial America, the Civil War, and frontier life."posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:19 PM on January 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (Glenn Miller's version is the one I'm thinking of)
Over There
Devo covered CSNY's "Ohio"--fitting 'cause at least two of them were there on 5/4/70posted by luckynerd at 1:19 PM on January 13, 2014

Listening to it again, Daley's Gone has a reference to the 1968 Democratic National Convention and political machines, so it could be a little more general.posted by hoyland at 1:21 PM on January 13, 2014

Darling Nelly Gray, which is rumored to have helped lead to a bit of a war we had a while back.posted by fritley at 1:23 PM on January 13, 2014

Maybe a stretch because it's not from an American perspective, but Letter from America for immigration generally. (I was reminded of it as the Proclaimers covered King of the Road.)posted by hoyland at 1:23 PM on January 13, 2014

Also, from another TMBG album, Purple Toupee is a garbled and macaronic version of 50s and 60s history ("Martin X was mad when they outlawed bell bottoms"), but it might be a little too insider-baseball, should-have-been-there for many high-schoolers.posted by Nomyte at 1:25 PM on January 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Some Steve Earle:

Leroy's Dustbowl Blues- A poor dustbowl family heads to California. Spoiler alert, bad things happen.Johnny Come Lately- A Vietnam veteran reflecting on his dad's experiences as a WWII veteran. Could be an interesting way to demonstrate changing cultural attitudes.Dixieland- A Scottish immigrant during the Civil War era joins the Union Army. "We come from the farms and the city streets of a hundred foreign lands/and we spilled our blood in the battle's heat- now we're all Americans."Ben McCullough- Also Civil War era, this time a Confederate soldier who loathes his commander.John Walker's Blues- from the perspective of John Walker, "the American Taliban."posted by showbiz_liz at 1:26 PM on January 13, 2014 [4 favorites]

If you're willing to go to showtunes, 1776 has a bunch of songs about the revolutionary war. "Mama, Look Sharp" is about someone dying at the battle of Lexington, "Molasses to Rum" is about the triangle trade, and "But, Mr. Adams" is about who should actually write the Declaration of Independence.posted by rmd1023 at 1:26 PM on January 13, 2014 [2 favorites]

Wow! I am overwhelmed and beyond impressed with all of these suggestions! Thank you so much.

To answer one of the questions above, here are the general units we do. I've bolded those units that have been more difficult to find [modern] music for. That said, I still have holes in almost all of the units and welcome any & all suggestions.
1. Founding Era
2. Constitution & Bill of Rights
3. Expansion
4. Civil War
5. Reconstruction
6. Gilded Age
7. Imperialism
8. 1920s
9. Great Depression & New Deal
10. WWII
11. Changes of the 1950s & Early Cold War
12. Civil Rights Movement
13. Vietnam Era
14. Modern America

Thanks again - keep all the great ideas coming!posted by leitmotif at 1:33 PM on January 13, 2014

Also: No Sex by Alex Chilton is about the AIDS epidemic in the '80s. You'd definitely have to skip the first verse, though, assuming the title doesn't make it a non-starter to begin with. (The third verse might work: "I'm really worried about the future / Junkie blood is gonna pollute ya / Pretty soon, we're all gonna get it / It's time to buy some stuff on credit")posted by scody at 1:36 PM on January 13, 2014

Simon and Garfunkel - He was my brother - murder of those three civil rights workers in Mississippi (there are a couple of other songs about it, too)posted by hoyland at 1:36 PM on January 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Utah Phillips did a bunch of songs about strikes and various events out west.

John Trudell, who is a Native musician and poet, did a bunch of songs about Native issues, AIM and other contemporary stuff. I don't have time to sort through his discography, but there's a ton of stuff there.

One More Time, which is a reworking of the Clash song and about the second Gulf War, is one of the more affecting anti-war songs I've heard.posted by Frowner at 1:45 PM on January 13, 2014

R.E.M.'s Swan Swan H isn't a very clear narrative, but it is at least tangentially about the Civil War! It mentions Johnny Reb specifically, if you want to pick out a line from it.posted by ausdemfenster at 1:46 PM on January 13, 2014

Eminem, Mosh - about the 2004 election, voting, and social change. This is absolutely a partisan song, and I don't know what you can get away with where you're teaching, but it really captures the time and just how angry folks were around that election time.

Same Love, Macklemore - again, this song doesn't pretend to be unbiased, but if you want a popular song by an artist that students are guaranteed to recognize about a current hot issue, well, there you go.

Two by the Drive By Truckers: Uncle Frank skewers the TVA, and TVA thanks it.

Oh, there's a Utah Phillips song about the Enola Gay. There's a lot of set-up in this live recording - the song begins at about 3:00.

Also, REM has a song, Exhuming McCarthy, which is both about the McCarthy hearings and about Reagan and Iran Contra. It also samples the famous "have you left no sense of decency" thing from the McCarthy hearings. And REM also has a song about US involvement in Central America, "Flowers of Guatemala".

You might also want to check out the work of David Rovics, a radical songwriter who covers a lot of current events. He is a better songwriter than his website suggests.posted by Frowner at 1:55 PM on January 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

If you'll be discussing the space race, Buzz Aldrin's Blues by my friend Dean Driver is a great song about how Aldrin coped with his life after the moon landing.posted by showbiz_liz at 1:58 PM on January 13, 2014

Eminem, Mosh yt - about the 2004 election, voting, and social change. This is absolutely a partisan song, and I don't know what you can get away with where you're teaching, but it really captures the time and just how angry folks were around that election time.

Oh god, yes, though they're all probably too young to remember.

Green Day's American Idiot album totally defines the mood of 2004/2005 for me. (You'd need to find bleeped/muted versions.) American Idiot, Wake Me Up When September Ends's video was about the Iraq War, but it's not so obvious from the lyrics, and Holiday is pretty clearly about the run up to the war.posted by hoyland at 2:00 PM on January 13, 2014

I don't know where you are, but if you're in New England, especially, I'd suggest John and Mary's "July 6th," about the Hartford Circus Fire in 1944.posted by dlugoczaj at 2:09 PM on January 13, 2014

The Clash's Washington Bullets is also about U.S. support for military dictatorships in Central and South America.

Bonzo Goes to Bitburg by the Ramones is about Reagan visiting a military cemetery in Germany where SS officers were buried.posted by scody at 2:38 PM on January 13, 2014

Happy Days are Here Again was released in 1929, but it became best known after FDR used it as his campaign song in 1932 .posted by brujita at 2:58 PM on January 13, 2014

judy collins' "hey nelly nelly" is the civil war in a nutshell. when johnny came marching home...

there are entire big books about labor movement songs, depression songs and slavery songs; the answers to this question could go on and on and on. joe hill wants you to organize! john henry was a steel-driving man! (did that really happen?) my darling clementine has a dark back-story.posted by bruce at 3:04 PM on January 13, 2014

I'll take (some of) your bullet list and add my suggestions:
1. Founding Era
=> See above. Alexander Hamilton and Too Late To Apologize. Also, the song Molasses to Rum from 1776 is a song about the Triangle Trade that gets rightfully harrowing and disturbing near the end. I love 1776, but in terms of content most of the songs don't have a wondeful RoI.

3. Expansion
=> I use the majority of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (heavily edited) as a scaffold for early democratic expansion and "little p" populism. It's also does a great job with the Corrupt Bargain and showing Jackson as kind of the first actively campaigning candidate in the modern mold. Additionally, the War of 1812 has a lot of great songs: The Hunters of Kentucky (also from BBAJ) and the Star Spangled Banner, for just two.

Additionally, TMBG has a pair of songs that do double or triple duty in this regard: the eponymous James K Polk covers the man and Manifest Destiny. The newer Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too! Is good mostly because it's the first real "campaign song."

4. Civil War & 5. Reconstruction
=> This is an overly rich mine to vein. I use The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" to demonstrate the mental and physical state of the post-War South and I use the Hoyt Axton version of I'm A Good Ol' Rebel to demonstrate the depth and venom of the neo-Confederate redeemers as obstacles to reconstruction.

6. Gilded Age
=> Not too much going on here. I use Rasputina's "My Little Shirtwaist Fire" along with a pretty horrific slide show to introduce Progressivism. I'm also a fan of the Ani/Utah version of "The Most Dangerous Woman in America" because Mother Jones. If you want to go up to and through the progressive era - which I assume to do since it's not otherwise periodized - then you can throw in Union Maid, Which Side Are You On, or any one of literally a thousand union songs.

8. 1920s
=>"Aint We Got Fun." I bookend this with "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" as an introduction to the Great Depression. I'll notice you didn't mention WWI, so i'll go ahead and say "Over There," as it's a great primary source example of the sorts of propaganda put out officially and otherwise by the CPI.

9. Great Depression & New Deal
=> See above! Also, depending on what you're looking for, the Almanac Singers can be counted on to have a song about it. Or, anything by Woody or Pete. The textbook I use has a homework assignment with the lyrics for "Grand Coulee Dam" and so I use that one as my song for the New Deal. It being a great song also recommends it. The Annie Soundtrack has good songs on it, but I'm afraid in the original 70s cast recording the most appropriate song - Thank You, Mr. Hoover - has totally shitty audio for the male parts. "Do Re Mi" is another great Woodie song about the 30s with a lot of wonderful covers.

10. WWII
=> More Almanac Singers! All their anti-Hitler stuff is great. Also, of course, "Rosie The Riveter". Brother Ali's "Live From the Chippie Bun Club" is some brutal hip hop about the experiences of African American veterans in the post-War world that you almost certainly can't play for them.

11. Changes of the 1950s & Early Cold War
=> *wolfish grin* I have all of those songs if there is one whose lyrics intrigue you.

12. Civil Rights Movement
=> The Scotsboro Boys is a musical about a particularly sad civil rights tragedy, but there are plenty of songs here, too, both from and about the era. U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" jumps immediately to mind, but you don't have to look too deep.

13. Vietnam Era
=> An embarrassment of riches! I use Marty Robbin's "Aint I Right" to represent the hawks, but you could just as easily use Okie From Muskogee. Plenty of anti-war songs to chose from, of course, with the most obvious choice to demonstrate war cynicism being "Fortunate Son," but I usually go with "Ohio" instead when I teach Kent State. Also, Born in the USA.

14. Modern America
=> Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" is the quintessential song about the Boomer Era, but tends to be pretty useless in practice unless you want to attach a hard core ID assignment to it.

The Band (from above) also did a song about the Acadian Expulsion called "Acadian Driftwood." I made a little video for the Richard Shindell cover to teach myself some new editing software.

Feel free to memail me or follow up here with more specific periodizations, topics, or units and I'll almost certainly have more ideas to chip in.posted by absalom at 3:57 PM on January 13, 2014 [5 favorites]

I play old time music, and many of my favorites are about the depression and prohibition. I've got a bunch more - memail me if you want a more comprehensive list. The New Lost City Ramblers are a treasure trove of historical songs.posted by amelliferae at 4:36 PM on January 13, 2014

U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" jumps immediately to mind, but you don't have to look too deep.

Isn't it about Northern Ireland?posted by hoyland at 4:42 PM on January 13, 2014

And this last one is a clip of a song, super obscure and may not work for your purposes, I remember it from when I watched it as a kid - The Monkees episode Here Comes The Monkees. The Monkees are trying to help Davy's girlfriend with her homework and sang this little ditty (at 11:50):

When Patrick Henry was in Virginia / He made a speech we all recall / He said to the people of Charlotte town / United we stand, divided we fallposted by triggerfinger at 5:43 PM on January 13, 2014

Disc jockey Tom Clay was working at radio station KGBS in Los Angeles, California when he created the single "What the World Needs Now is Love/Abraham, Martin and John", a social commentary that became a surprise hit record that summer.

The song begins with a man asking a young boy to define such words as bigotry, segregation and hatred (to which the boy says he doesn't know); he says that prejudice is "when someone's sick." Following that is a soundbite of a drill sergeant leading a platoon into training, along with gunfire sound effects, after which are snippets of the two songs — both as recorded by The Blackberries, a session recording group. Interspersed are excerpts of speeches by John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, the eulogy after Robert's assassination by Ted Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and soundbites of news coverage of each one's assassination. The ending of the song is a reprisal of the introduction.

"What the World Needs Now is Love/Abraham, Martin and John" rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1971, and was Clay's only Top 40 hit.

It's heartbreaking. Brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.posted by alms at 7:16 PM on January 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

I love Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" for the civil rights era. Especially because most of the alternatives are by white artists.

Not quite pop music, but Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton Mixtape covers the life of Alexander Hamilton. I think the linked song is a short, fun retelling of Hamilton's life.posted by Turkey Glue at 7:28 PM on January 13, 2014

The Brooklyn "chamber-pop" band Pinataland has a few albums about historical events: "Songs for the Forgotten Future," volumes 1 and 2, which include some but not all tracks from their early EP "Songs from Konijn Kok*," and " Hymns for the Dreadful Night." In the SftFF, the songs being with some historical audio, and segue into a song about the relevant event. They have famous if not particularly pivotal events in history, such as the 1939 World's Fair ("1939") or the execution of Topsy the Elephant by electrocution ("Coney Island Funeral") or the infamous displaying of an Congolese pygmy tribesman at the Bronx Zoo ("Ota Benga's Name"). And then there are things you've never heard of, like the bizarre "airship scare of 1895" ("Devil's Airship.") You can probably guess the topic of "Oppie Struck the Match."

Half the fun of listening is researching what strange event or historical figure they've uncovered. I had heard of John Banvard, who painted the Mississippi River on a miles-long canvas, but hadn't heard of Sam Patch, "The Yankee Leaper," who made a name for himself by leaping into the Niagara River at the base of the eponymous falls.

I think this is a brilliant band and I look forward to future works.

*It's Dutch for "Rabbit Cook" if you're wondering. It's the term that gave Coney Island its name.posted by Sunburnt at 10:01 PM on January 13, 2014

"Chicago" - Graham Nash (1968 Democratic convention in Chicago and the trial of the Chicago Eight)

The window of direct relevance on this for high school use is closing, but folks who watched Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete and Pete growing up are often surprised to hear that its catchy theme song "Hey Sandy" is a veiled reference to Sandra Scheuer, one of the students killed in the Kent State massacre.posted by Rhaomi at 11:56 PM on January 13, 2014

Flogging Molly have some good stuff, including a really beautiful/soul-crushing song about workers who built the railroads ( the name escapes me, sorry), but off their more recent album, the song The Power's Out is an incredibly scathing, angry song about the decline of blue collar work and union strength in the last decade. It's amazing, and I can't imagine complacency after listening to it.posted by Ghidorah at 1:18 AM on January 14, 2014

Well gosh, I really like those two songs I mentioned above, but OK, more specifically U.S-centric:

Scott MacKenzie -- San Francisco: an overly-idealistic song about the birth of the Flower Power counterculture in the Summer of '67 (though it really had already started about 2 years earlier with Kesey's busload of Merry Pranksters.)

Meanwhile, there was a war on; Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son is a timeless reminder that not all was groovy during the Summer of Love.

Korea Girl's Atomic Skies is a pretty great song about the Atomic era. It opens with "1957 is the year when Sputnik died."

The Fiery Furnaces' Birdie Brain is about the fear of change that comes from the Age of Steam, but it might be a bit of a stretch to work it into your curriculum.

Positive Jam by The Hold Steady goes from the 20s ("woke up in the twenties/and there were flappers and fruits and white suits/it was right before the crash") to the 90s ("And in the 90s we were wired and well-connected/put it all down on technology and lost everything we invested"). It also has a lot of bits about sex-- beat influence and all that.posted by NoraReed at 4:49 AM on January 14, 2014

Two songs referencing the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma:

Oklahoma by Dan Bern is a basic telling of eventsShades of Gray by Richard Shindell uses it in passing in the last line so that if you didn't now about the event you'd miss the significance of it.

Dan Bern's songs in general are chock full of references to people and events that are very wide-ranging. He alludes to Oklahoma again in True Revolutionaries, school shootings in general in Kid's Prayer (I'm going to go ahead and put a trigger/crying warning on that one just in case). His song about Monica Seles (trigger warning for violence) also references John Lennon and MLK. A lot of his more recent songs are about current events - you can get a sense of it by glancing at song titles, but some are less obvious.

Richard Shindell, too, weaves a lot of history throughout his songs, and they are always sung from an interesting point of view. Reunion Hill and Arrowhead are both Civil War related songs. The Things That I Have Seen is about more recent wars. Fishing is about searching for undocumented immigrants. May is about Northern Ireland. Cold Missouri Waters is about the Mann Gulch fire of 1949.

He recorded Cold Missouri Waters with Cry Cry Cry, which includes singer/songwriter Dar Williams. She has probably the only song you'll find about the 1960s Milgram experiments (Buzzer). She also has a song about Pompeii (with apologies that the only version I could find is connected to that video).posted by mikepop at 8:02 AM on January 14, 2014

Pretty much anything from Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, as well as much of the show Ragtime.

Also, there was a folk band called The Foremen that did a bunch of political/current-events stuff - their stuff can be really hard to find, but, for example, here are the lyrics to a song about Oliver North and here's Firing the Surgeon General (possibly too racy for school). Oh, and this one's timely again: Privateers of the Public Airwaves. It looks like there are some mp3s at the Foremen page, but those look more general-political and less specific-historical-event. ... Oh, wait - three Foremen albums are available on iTunes. You can preview the songs and see if they'd be of any interest. ("San Diego" and "Chicago" are about that year's Republican and Democratic conventions - there's a reference to "the cue cards Bill and Al used". You could even do a little mini-lesson on the way "San Diego" is a big musical nod to "If You're Going to San Francisco" and "Chicago" riffs on CSNY's "Our House".)

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